Chair-seat.



T. THONET.

CHAIR SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. I9. IsI4.

1,11,3;57. Piment-ed May 2,1916.

WITNESSES MII/EIVTHl Wb/ 4- Teaalof Tibor/et THEODOR THONET, OF VIENNA,AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

CHAIR-SEAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application led November 19, 1914. Serial No. 872,885.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Trrnonon THONET, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, residing at Vienna, in the Empire ofAustria-I-lurigary, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inChair- Seats, of which the following is a specifica` tion.

This invention relates to chair seats and it l@ \consists in a novelconstruction of a chair seat made in two-upper and lower-sections ofwhich the upper one is detachably secured in place to the lower one,`the seat proper being preferablypressed into a form to imitate areticulated cane or the like woven seat proper, the object being toprovide a chair seat in which the lower part shall form a permanent partof a chair but the upper part shall be removable and formed in twoseparable parts-a seat proper and a frame-constructed in a way tofacilitate their assembling and disassembling, both with respect to eachother and to said lower part, the whole in its assembled state forming astructure whose component parts are firmly and reliably secured togetherand in which the seat proper preferably imitates retic'ulated cane orthe like possesses the proper resilience and practically conceals themeans to secure together the said upper and lower seat parts.

In the annexed drawing, Figure l1 is a plan of the improved seat; Figs.2 and 3 are sectional views, on lines mand -g/ in Fig. l, on a largerscale; and, Fig. 4 is a plan of the frame of the upper part of the seat.

t designates an annular wooden frame forming the lower part of theimproved sea-t and being substantially the same as the seat-ring orframe of an ordinary bentwood chair, excepting that its Verticalthickness is somewhat reduced.

b is the frame of the upper part of the improved seat, the same being ofsomewhat less vertical thickness than the frame but conforming in planto the shape of the same. From its inner periphery to a concentric lineapproximately midway between its inner and outer peripheries said frameo is formed with a deep rabbet o; from rabe bet c outwardly to aconcentric line approximately midway between said rabbet and the outerperiphery of the frame said frame is formed with another and shallowerrabbet cl. Rabbet c leaves a thin wall or flange of material e to bepenetrated by screws or the like f for securing frame Z) to frame ca;rabbet CZ forms a narrow continuous ledge to support the eXtrememarginal portion only of the seat proper (to be described)7 which is arelatively thin disk formed of stiff material but having a certainneeded resilience for reasons to be indicated.

The seat proper g is composed of compressed iibrous material, in thepresent instance comprising laminae of wood veneer united by glue underpressure, the grain of the several layers being preferably crossed as isusual in forming veneer sheets. By a suitable die and while the materialof this sheet-like body is in a more or less soft state-accomplished bysteaming the same or otherwise-one face thereof is pressed to the shapepresented by the upper face of a cane or the like woven seat proper, z'.c., so as to reproduce therein a cameo replica of such seat; the shapingof said face thus accomplished is illustrated in the sectional views,Figs. 2 and 3. By means of drills thev holes or meshes in the weave ofthe cane seat are reproduced at 71. in the material for the seat f, carebeing exercised to center each hole accurately with respectv to theseveral portions of the replicas of the cane strands which shouldsurround it.

The diameter of the seat proper g is substantially equal to that of therabbet d, into which it is adapted to be fitted as shown in Figs. l, 2and 3, resting on the ledge produced by said rabbet and having its topsurface flush, or substantially so, with the top surface of the frame Itmay be secured in place by brads '5, glue or otherwise.

Thus constructed, the seat has not only every appearance of being a caneseat but acts as such when in use7 due partly to the undulating shape ofits top surface in counterfeit of the surface of a cane seat but to theholes ft, which perfect the illusion not only so far as the eye isconcerned but in imparting a certain resilience to the otherwise stiffmaterial of the seat proper g, attributable also to supporting thelatter only at its extreme marginal portion. The rabbet c both displacesradially outwardly the bearing which the seat proper g assumes on frameo, with the advantage just indicated, and leaves a thin wall or flange ethrough which headed securing devices f, with their heads uppermost andin registry with certain of the holes g, which afford access to them,may be driven to hold the :trame b firmly and regularly against framea.. The securing devices, though they may be readily seen through theholes g if looked for, are ordinarily not apparent largely because ofthe distracting influence the reticulated surface oi the seat proper hason the eye of the observer.

The top surface or" the seat proper g is usually treated with a suitableliquid iiiish to complete the illusion it creates.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is l. The liereindescribed chair seatcomprising a lower continuous frame, an upper continuous frame arrangedsubstantially concentrically on the lower frame and having upwardly openinternal continuous upper and lower rabbets7 the former being the largerin diameter and the latter leaving a flange between the same and thebottom surface of said upper frame7 devices extended through said flangefor securing the upper frame to the lower frame, and a seat proper ofstiff sheet material itted snugly into the upper' rabbet and providedthroughout with penetrating holes, one such hole registering verticallywith each of said devices.

2. The hereindescribed chair seat comprising a lower continuous frame,an upper oontinuous frame arranged substantially conceiitiically on thelower frame and having upwardly open internal continuous upper and lowerrabbets, the former being the larger in diameter and the latter leavinga flange between the saine and the bottom surface of said upper frame,devices eX- teiided through said {iange for securing the upper frame tothe lower frame, and a seat proper oitl stiff sheet material fittedsnugly into the upper rabbet and having its top surface pressed into thepermanent surfaceiorinatioii of a reticulated cane seat proper and alsohaving penetrating holes conforming in position and number with themeshes of the latter, one such hole registering vertically with each ofsaid devices.

In testimony whereof l ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THEODOR THONET.

Vitnesses HUGO TI-ioNn'r, AUGUST FUGenii.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

